The Enchanted Islands, Part One
It’s been more than a week since I returned from 12 days in Ecuador, and my head is still spinning. Visions of marine iguanas and giant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands and fantastic hummingbirds from the mainland cloud forest linger on the edge of my consciousness. The seeds for this trip were sown in early in 2007. I was discussing my 1995 trip to the Galapagos on my Saturday afternoon radio show in Pittsburgh (www.1360wptt.com). A caller suggested I return with a group of listeners. I asked anyone who would seriously consider a fairly long and expensive trip to e-mail me. Within a week I had a dozen responses, so I called a local travel agency. After months of planning and immeasurable assistance from Beverly Musilli at Uniglobe Travel in Wheeling, a group of 38 intrepid travelers left Pittsburgh on June 13. We were anxious and perhaps even giddy with excitement. The Galapagos cruise aboard Celebrity’s Xpedition lasted seven days. Add a day of travel each way and another day touring Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and that part of the trip lasted 10 days. After the cruise, 23 of us spent two extra days birding the cloud forest on the east side of the Andes. It’s difficult to know where to begin because each day of the trip was a series of highlights, so I’ll start with some background.
» Full StoryWork to Begin on Long-Closed Street
Repair work on a section of a main east-west street in Moundsville is expected to begin within the next several weeks.
» Full StorySelf-Esteem Movement Has Succeeded in America
We need to establish a new federal holiday to make official what so many Americans and our institutions already celebrate.
National Incompetence Day is an idea whose time has come.
Pick Your Own Blueberries at Kilgore Fruit Farm Starting Friday
It’s blueberry pickin’ time!
On Friday, Robert and Rebecca Keefer, operators of the Kilgore Fruit Farm located high on the hill northeast of Bellaire, will open their popular farm to allow any and all blueberry lovers to pick their own.
School Reform Deadline Unrealistic
Ohioans may be helping to rescue Congress from itself. Through the No Child Left Behind law, Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have painted themselves into a corner.
» Full StoryA Tale Of Two Mayors
A letter writer in a Pittsburgh newspaper last week lamented how that city is losing population, dying on its feet, and pointed the finger at the city’s young mayor.
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